Device for removing leaves from fruit-cleaning liquid



Sept. 9, 1924.

. J. BUCKLEY DEVICE FOR REMOVING LEAVES FROM FRUIT CLEANING LIQUID FiledFeb. 13. 1924 j- INVENTOR. Jerry B ll ck leg Q mm ATTORNEY PatentedSept. 9, 1924.

UNITED S ATES j lew i PATENT oF -FIICE.

JERRY BUCKLEY, or MILLS, CALIFORNIA.

nnvrcn ron REMOVING LEAVES FROM nanrr-cr-nanme LI U D."

Application filed February 13, 1924. Serial no.'eee,49s.

exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this application. This invention relates to improvements forfruit cleaning apparatus, and particularly to a device for separatingthe fruit, after being picked from the trees, from the leaves, twigs andother foreign matterinevitably accompanying the fruit. i

The present invention is especially intended as an improvement over thatform of apparatus shown in my United States Patent principal object nowisto provide a means whereby the leaves, twigs, and any other floatablematter will be automatically and continuously removedfrom the liquidinto which the fruit is dumped, without any attention being necessary onthe part of the operator.

This avoids the frequent interruptions in the operation of the device,such as were necessary with the previous device.

Time and labor are therefore conserved, and theseare important elementsin the expense of operation, especially where large quantities of fruitare being handled.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusual of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views: 1

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved device.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detached view of the leaf and other refuseconveyor.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes a tank of suitable size, open on top,and adapted to hold a liquid, preferably water.

Anendless 'drivenfruit conveyor 2, of suitable construction such asisoutlinediin detail in the above mentionedpatent, is mounted with oneend in and adjacent one end and bottom of the tank, extendingthenceupwardly at an 'angle to'asuitable point above and beyondthe-oppositeendlof the tank. r

Fixed in the'tank a certain distance from and solid battle plate orpartition 3, extendrun of the conveyor 2.

end of the tank. The fruit being heavy, will of course'sink through thewater, .until it rests on the conveyor .2, which draws it through andfinally out of the water at the other end of the tank.

No. 1,415,985, dated May 16th, 1922, 'and my Any floatable matterpreviously with the fruit. will rest on the surface of the water,

being confined to that area included between the partition andtheadjacent end of the tank.

To continuously and automatically remove such, matter from the water, Iprovide an ad ditional endless conveyor 4 which lies at an the lower endof the conveyor is a transverse ing down from a point above the level ofthe llquid, to a point suitably clearing the upper angle substantiallythe reverse of that of the conveyor 2. One end of the conveyor 4; is

submerged in the water of the above named restricted area adjacent theend of the tank, while the opposite end of said conveyor 1' is above andbeyond said adjacent end of the tank. This conveyor extends from side toside of the tank and includesparallel side chains 5 orthe like, betweenwhich extend transverse strips 6 of screening or other freely perforatedmaterial, these strips being arranged to form a complete but flexibleflooring from the conveyor.

Transverse cleats 7 of screening or the" like project outwardly fromtheflooring 6 at suitable intervals in the length of the latter;

The conveyors 2 and 4 are driven in common at the same or any desiredratio of speed as by means of a belt 8, which would be crossed to givethe proper direction of movement of the conveyors, the upper runs ofwhich both travel upwardly from their lower ends.

In order to prevent any of the fruit when being dumped into thetank,'from possiblybeing caught by the conveyor 4 before said fruithas achance to enter the water and settle, a deflector or cover board 9 mayif desired be placed above the conveyor 2 and parallel thereto, thefruit thus of course striking and rolling down this board and into thewater clear of the conveyor i.

The partition 3 has two important functions. It serves not only toconfine the flotable matter to the adjacent end of the tank, but alsoacts to cause said matter to continuously move into the path of movementof the cleats of the conveyor 4, so that the latter may pick up andWithdraw the matter.

This is because with the upward movement of the upper run of theconveyor 2, an upward current of the water in a plane parallel to theconveyor is set up. The moving mass of water, on striking the partition,is defiected thereby and a back flow of the water, and towards theconveyor 4, is set up on the surface of the water. Any matter floatingon the water is influenced by the current, and of course also movestoward the conveyor.

A screen partition would of course serve the purpose as tar as confiningthe floating matter is concerned, but to deflect the current as abovedescribed, said partition must be solid. 7

From the foregoing description it Will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially tulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this Specification sets forth in detank, a vertical partition Wallextending part way into the tank, a conveyor extending to a point nearthe bottom of the tank and passing closely adjacent the lower edge ofthe partition wall and to a point outside the tank, a second conveyorextending into the liquid near the surface thereof and to a pointoutside the tank, the direction of movement of the latter conveyor beingthe reverse of that of the first named conveyor so that the current ofthe liquid set up by the movement of the first conveyor will strike thepartition wall and be deflected toward the second conveyor wherebywhen-the fruit is emptied into v the tank between the second conve orand the partition wall such current wll carry the fioatable materialassociated with the fruits toward the second conveyor by which it willbe carried out of the tank, while the clean fruit will fall upon thefirst conveyor and be carried from the tank thereby,

In testimony whereof I affix my Si nature.

JERRY BUCI LEY.

